There are thousands of Batman stories that have been written over the course of the character’s long history. There may be no story more memorable, shocking, and iconic, than 1988’s “The Killing Joke.” The story was penned by the legendary creator of Watchmen, Alan Moore, and drawn by Brian Bolland. The DC Comics’ story is coming to home video this year and is being produced by Bruce Timm (Batman the Animated Series), who was given the latitude to craft a story much more mature than what has come before.
“The Killing Joke” is the closest thing to an origin story that exists for the villainous Clown of Prince in the comics. While there are many different explanations and legends for why he came to be, Moore’s story has grown to be seen as the closest thing to canon. The story follows a failed comedian who gets involved with the mob, before tragedy leads him on the path to become the Joker. In order to faithfully translate the movie to the small screen, Warner Bros has announced the animated film will carry an R-rating. Here is what president of WB Animation, Sam Register, had to say in a statement released to EW:
“From the start of production, we encouraged producer Bruce Timm and our team at Warner Bros. Animation to remain faithful to the original story — regardless of the eventual MPAA rating. The Killing Joke is revered by the fans, particularly for its blunt, often-shocking adult themes and situations. We felt it was our responsibility to present our core audience — the comics-loving community — with an animated film that authentically represented the tale they know all too well.”
The world has turned upside-down since the blockbuster success of Deadpool, that proved that there’s gold in the R-rated superhero hills. This announcement comes on the heels of the news that there will be a R-rated, or unrated, cut of Batman v Superman when it’s released on Blu-ray. So clearly WB took a look at Deadpool’s take of over $800 million dollars and said, “Daaaaaamn.” Now they are putting their toes in the pool with their home releases, while keeping their big-screen DC adaptations firmly in the PG-13 realm. The upcoming adaptation will have added scenes and plot threads with Batgirl. Batman the Animated Series’ legends Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are returning as the iconic voices of Batman and the Joker respectively.
It’s a daring new direction for the animation division. Warner Bros has long used a multi-generational approach to marketing Batman. The live-action movies are aimed at pre-teens and up. While there are still Saturday morning styled cartoons of the character available, so that younger viewers are introduced to the character. The R-rated animated film signals a whole new older demographic that WB intends to explore and time will tell if this is the beginning of a new era.
Batman: The Killing Joke is expected to be released later this year.
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